


Open to Pawsibilities

by MissCrazyWriter321



Category: Zoo (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, Mentions of Abe/Dariela and Chloe/Jackson, Puppies, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24416551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCrazyWriter321/pseuds/MissCrazyWriter321
Summary: He relaxes, amusement flickering in his eyes. “So you’re trying to hide from everyone too, huh? Have a seat. Plenty of dogs to go around.”-Or the one where neither of them wanted to go to the party, but at least there are lots of dogs.
Relationships: Abraham Kenyetta & Jamie Campbell, Jackson Oz & Jamie Cambell, Jamie Campbell/Mitch Morgan, Mitch Morgan & Chloe Tousignant
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Open to Pawsibilities

**Author's Note:**

> How did I get so invested in these characters? I'm not sure, but they deserve a fluffy AU where they're just awkward college students playing with dogs. 
> 
> I haven't even finished watching the show (just started Season 3), but I figured I'd jump right in. I hope you enjoy!!

At first, she thinks she’s actually going to be able to relax and enjoy the party. She has Jackson and Abe to watch her back, after all, and Dariela greets her with a warm hug that chases away any hint of fear. Besides,  _ he  _ isn’t supposed to be here. Jackson promised, and she trusts Jackson with her life. Has had to, since that very first meeting. 

So she drifts around the room, catching up with people she hasn’t seen since Freshman Year. She allows herself to get lost in the sea of hugs and laughter, letting it wash away the foggy haze of the past few weeks. Hiding away in her bedroom with junk food and soft blankets has nothing on this, she decides. This is wonderful. It’s-

She freezes, gaze drawn to the front door.  _ He’s here.  _ He hasn’t spotted her yet, which is good, because she can’t quite remember how to breathe.  _ What is he doing here? Jackson promised.  _ But Jackson went to grab snacks, and Abe is deep in conversation with Dariela.  _ Of course. _

Thinking quickly, she turns to the host, a communications major she barely knows. “Hey, Trotter, right? My friends said you have dogs, but I don’t see them around anywhere.”

Trotter nods cheerfully. As far as she can tell, that’s the way he does most things. “I have them locked up in the back bedroom there. You’re welcome to go and look at them, though. They’re going to love all the attention.” 

She thinks she manages some variation of  _ thank you  _ as she darts toward the door he pointed out. The crowd is thick (who knew Trotter had so many friends?) and she half-thinks  _ he  _ is going to see her several times before she makes it there, but finally, she reaches the door, slips inside, and shuts it firmly. Exhaling shakily, she leans forward, resting her forehead against the door.  _ It’s over. It’s fine. He didn’t see me.  _

“Someone trying to break down the door?” 

She whirls around, a sound that is absolutely  _ not  _ a squeak slipping out as she does, to find… The dogs, as advertised-half a dozen or so, at first glance-but also a guy. Dark hair, glasses, plaid shirt, looking at her like she’s  _ absolutely  _ crazy. 

Great. 

“Sorry, I was just-Trotter said his dogs were in here. I didn’t-I didn’t know-”

He relaxes, amusement flickering in his eyes. “So you’re trying to hide from everyone too, huh? Have a seat. Plenty of dogs to go around.” 

She cannot help but relax as well, offering a shaky smile as she sinks to the ground. Immediately, one fluffy little yorkie scrambles up to her, licking her hands, her face, and anywhere else it can reach. 

“Hello, there, sweetheart,” she murmurs, stroking its ears. “Hello. Yes, I know. I know.” 

An awkward cough reminds her that there is, in fact, another person in the room, and she flushes, looking back up at him. 

“Sorry,” she says again. “I’m Jamie. Jamie Campbell.” 

He reaches across the yorkie’s head with his left hand, right one thoroughly occupied scratching a dachshund’s head. “Mitch Morgan.” She shakes his hand, and he adds, “expert at hiding from parties, although I somehow still get dragged to them. I take it you did, too?”

“Kind of.” The yorkie has progressed to licking her jeans at the knee, and she’s not sure whether to be disturbed or not. Its collar declares it  _ Poppy,  _ so, probably a girl. “Jackson and Abe said I had to stop sulking in my room. Bad breakup,” she clarifies, and he shakes his head. 

“You should tell Jackson and Abe that sulking in your room is the most important part of a breakup.” 

Fair, but… “It’s been a month.”

“Ah.” 

Another dog, with super fluffy ears, ambles over to her, sniffing curiously. Not nearly as high-energy as Poppy, but definitely still friendly.  _ Spot,  _ apparently, and she hopes he isn’t named for his mess-making. 

Holding out her hand for Spot to sniff, she glances at Mitch. “Honestly, I normally like parties. It’s just… My ex. He wasn’t supposed to be here, and he is, so…” 

“So you’re hiding with the dogs,” he finishes, and she doesn’t quite know if he’s mocking her or not. 

A little defensively, she replies, “And you.” 

“And me.” He drops her gaze for a second, focusing on the four dogs still crowded around him. Aside from the dachshund, there’s two small furballs that she can’t identify, and another yorkie. “Chronic party hater.” 

Spot seems to deem her  _ safe,  _ and curls up on the floor beside her, snuggling into her leg. Poppy, for her part, has taken to chewing on Jamie’s laces. Tugging her gently away from them, she raises a brow at Mitch. 

“So who dragged you here?”

His lips twitch. “Chloe Tousignant.” 

Chloe. Jamie’s seen her around on campus, and she’s always seemed pretty nice. They always travel in different circles, though. “Girlfriend?”

He actually scoffs, shaking his head. “Definitely not.” He sounds a little disturbed by the idea. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Chloe’s great, but… No. Never.” 

She expects that to be the end of things, but he goes quiet for a moment, brows furrowed. Finally, he turns back to her. 

“I was dating this girl. Allison. Chloe’s best friend.” 

“Allison?” That name rings a bell. She’s seen her around before, usually hanging out with Chloe, but not recently. There are quite a few rumors as to why, and Jamie has a hunch that this might be the person to ask. “I heard she quit school and ran off with some older guy.” 

He gives a bitter chuckle, nodding. “Yeah. Hence,  _ was  _ dating. Chloe took my side on the breakup, and decided that she was now  _ my _ best friend. I really just… Didn’t have the energy to fight her at first, but now…” 

“Now, you actually like having her around?” She teases, and he nods, the corners of his lips tugging up. 

“Yeah, I guess I do. Don’t tell her, though.” 

Poppy must be wearing herself out, because she plops down beside Spot with a huff, burrowing into the carpet. 

Jamie hums. “Must be hard. What happened with Allison, I mean.” She isn’t quite sure what she’s doing-he doesn’t exactly seem the type to  _ spill _ -but the words slip out without her consent. He doesn’t respond immediately, and she’s about to turn her attention back to the dogs when he sighs. 

“That  _ old guy  _ she ran off with?” He pointedly doesn’t look at her, watching one of the puffballs try to climb up onto his knee. “That was, ah… That was my dad.”

_ Whoa.  _ She gives a low whistle, shaking her head. That’s-that’s _insane._ Who runs off with their son’s girlfriend? Who runs off with their boyfriend’s father? What in the world-?

He’s tense, clearly waiting for her reaction, so she shakes her head. “Dang. And all Logan did was plagiarize one of my papers.” She considers this briefly, before adding, “And he kicked my dog.” 

He doesn’t miss a beat. “Oh, then actually, he’s way worse than Allison.” 

He seems so  _ serious  _ that she cannot help but giggle, and his expression softens a little, as he finally raises his head to look at her. He’s… Actually kind of cute when he smiles. Dorks aren’t normally her type, but something in his almost shy grin is drawing her in. 

Clearing her throat, forcing  _ those  _ thoughts firmly away, she turns her attention to the dogs. They’re safer. Unlike cute guys, dogs can’t break her heart. “Looks like we wore them out. They’re dog-tired.” 

He groans, even though she thinks she’s made a fair point; every last one of them has settled down and they’re now snoring adorably. Not that she realized  _ snoring adorably  _ was a thing, but apparently it is. 

Suddenly, he rises to his feet. The dogs surrounding him let out groans of protest, and he glances down at them. “Sorry.” Then, to her, he adds, “Come check this out.” He makes his way toward a basket in the back corner of the room. 

She hesitates only a moment before following him, patting Poppy and Spot’s heads in silent apology. 

The basket is long and narrow, with towels on top. “What? Are we doing his laundry now?”

Mitch chuckles. “No, we are not. I figured Trotter didn’t tell you, because if he had, you would’ve gone straight to them.”  _ Them?  _ “Okay, now, the rule is look but don’t touch, okay?”

“Okay?” 

He pulls the towel back, and she doesn’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that her heart melts. Inside, a mother dog lays on her side, nursing eight adorable little puppies. They’re all wriggling around, so tiny she can’t believe it, with eyes still shut. 

“Oh my gosh.” She breathes, reaching for one instinctively before remembering what he said.  _ No touch. Right.  _ Drawing her hand back to her side, she asks, “How old are they?”

“Just a few days.” His voice is low. Almost enraptured. “Not even a week old.  _ No, they’re not. No, they’re not _ .” The last part is clearly aimed at the puppies, almost a coo, and she cannot deny that he’s adorable, too. 

Gathering her courage, she turns to him. “Hey, listen, do you-”

The door swings open before she can finish her question, and her sigh is echoed by Mitch’s. There, staring at them in amusement, stand Jackson, Abe, and Chloe. 

Chloe steps forward first, shaking her head at Mitch. “I knew I’d find you here.” She sounds both amused and fondly exasperated, and Jamie likes her instantly. “I thought we talked about this. You’re supposed to be interacting with actual humans. Not hiding with the puppies.” 

Jamie raises her hand. “I mean, I’m a human,” she points out, and Mitch nods quickly. 

“Exactly. She’s definitely human, and we’re definitely interacting, so I don’t see the problem here.” 

Chloe’s lips twitch, but she stands firm. “You are both hiding. I’m not completely sure that counts as-”

“Hey now,” Jackson cuts in, and Jamie almost wants to hug him. “From what you’ve told me, him interacting with a girl might be serious progress.” Never mind. Strangle. That’s the word she’s looking for.

Rolling her eyes, she turns to him. “Right. Like you’ve had a date in the last  _ year, _ ” she points out, and Abe chuckles. 

“Jamie makes an excellent point, _Rafiki_.” 

Jackson scowls at him. “Traitors. I’m surrounded by traitors.” He softens, turning back to Jamie. “I saw Logan. Sorry about that; Ben was sure he wasn’t going to be here. You good?” 

Any hint of irritation slips away in an instant. She’s never been very good at staying mad at him. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just needed a minute.” 

He steps forward, pulling her into a quick but firm hug, before drawing back. “Any chance I can lure you back to the party? There’s great music, tons of snacks…. And I think I saw some stuff to make hot chocolate with, if you want?” 

Hot chocolate? Now, that’s just not playing fair. Sighing, she nods. “Yeah, I guess so…” She glances at Mitch, whose face has fallen, gaze darting between her and Jackson. It takes her a few seconds before she puts the pieces together, but when she does, she nearly shudders.  _ Absolutely not.  _ Jackson and Abe are like brothers to her, and always will be. Impulsively, she adds, “If Mitch comes, too.” 

Mitch’s eyes widen, and he looks between her and the puppies uncertainly. “Now, see, you were hiding from your ex. I just don’t like people. There’s a difference.”

“Charming,” Jackson mutters, but Jamie ignores him. 

In spite of Mitch’s protest, there’s something hopeful in his eyes that convinces her to push on. “Right, but, hot chocolate. Besides…” There’s a lot she could say here, but she absolutely doesn’t want to deal with the teasing that would result, and she doubts he does, either, so she settles for, “If Logan comes up, you can yell at him for kicking my dog.” 

“If Logan comes up, Jackson and I will be breaking all of his limbs,” Abe cheerfully chimes in. “And Dariela knows how to hide a body.” Gaze narrowing to Mitch, he adds, “As do I.” 

Mitch visibly gulps, which probably should not be as funny as it is, and Jamie steps forward, hands in the air. “We’ve talked about this. No burying bodies without my permission.” 

Chloe grins. “Come on, Mitch. What is the worst thing that could happen?” 

“Want me to make you a list? I could alphabetize it. Or put it chronologically, if you prefer.” 

In spite of his words, he falls into step beside Jamie, and they all trail out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind them. It’s a good thing the dogs were asleep, Jamie muses. Otherwise, they would have run out into the party. 

Jamie slows her pace, hanging back a few steps from Abe, Chloe, and Jackson, and Mitch follows suit. She searches for the words to assure him that she and Jackson are just friends, that all of them are just friends, and that she really is interested in him. But they’ve just met, and that’s all a lot, so she watches their friends for a moment, mind racing. 

Chloe scoffs, shaking her head at something Jackson says, and he grins back at her. An impulse settles in Jamie’s mind, and she leans over, whispering to Mitch, “Ten bucks says they’ll be dating in a month.” 

He chuckles, but gives her a careful look. “Would you be… Okay with that?” 

_ “Yes.”  _ She holds his gaze for a moment, before her cheeks heat, and she quickly turns back to watch their friends. “Trust me, he’s not my type.”

“And what exactly is your type?” He asks, with a casualness so forced that it’s almost physically painful. She fights the urge to laugh, knowing that she probably isn’t doing much better here. Carefully considering her answer, she replies. 

“Dog lovers.” 

Before he can process that, she hurries to catch up with the others, who are almost at the kitchen. It takes him a second to follow, but when she glances back, his startled smile is enough that she cannot possibly regret taking this chance. 

Not everyone is Logan, she reminds herself. It’s something Abe has been repeating since the breakup, but for the first time, she can feel them. Taking a breath, she smiles in reply. 

Maybe, just maybe, this will be okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
